Staff with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division recently captured non-native flathead catfish while sampling in the Ogeechee River.      

DNR staff conducts annual catfish sampling in coastal rivers to monitor native species and detect any potential non-native species invasions. 

In December 2021, a single flathead was caught by a commercial fisherman in the Ogeechee. Until then, no flatheads had been reported in the river. Initially, DNR officials hoped the flathead was a single, isolated fish that made its way from the nearby Savannah River. 

In response, Wildlife Resources increased targeted flathead sampling efforts to determine if the species had spread further. Although sampled extensively in 2021 and 2022, no additional flatheads were found in the Ogeechee River.  

However, the first flathead in directed sampling efforts was caught in August. Since then, more than a dozen individual fish have been captured and removed. Recent captures have occurred in a relatively short segment of the river east of Interstate 95. 

The Wildlife Resources Division said staff will continue to conduct extensive sampling efforts in, and around, this portion of the Ogeechee.

Flathead catfish are native to Northwest Georgia but have established reproducing populations in several southeast reivers of the state that drain into the Atlantic, including the Satilla, Altamaha and Savannah Rivers. 

Flatheads can pose a significant ecological risk when introduced into new waterbodies, primarily through predation on native species. As such, Wildlife Resources officials are seeking the help of the public to help to protect the area’s native species.  

Anglers can greatly aid in this effort by not moving or releasing fish into waterbodies in which they are not native. Also, the DNR said anglers are asked to harvest and report any non-native flatheads they may capture in the Ogeechee River. 

Reporting of fish may be done on the WRD website at GeorgiaWildlife.com/ans